Molecular identification of adult and juvenile linyphiid and theridiid spiders in Alpine glacier foreland communities.

ABSTRACT: In glacier forelands spiders constitute a large proportion of the invertebrate community. Therefore, it is important to be able to determine the species that can be found in these areas. Linyphiid and theridiid spider identification is currently not possible in juvenile specimens using traditional morphological based methods, however, a large proportion of the population in these areas are usually juveniles. Molecular methods permit identification of species at different life stages, making juvenile identification possible. In this study we tested a molecular tool to identify the 10 most common species of Linyphiidae and Theridiidae found in three glacier foreland communities of the Austrian Alps. Two multiplex PCR systems were developed and over 90% of the 753 field-collected spiders were

SUBMITTER: Raso L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4106777 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature